Improvement



A J. 8; l. FINK.

Refrigerators.

No, 145,855, Patented Dec.23,l873.

Wilizeaaes, I /MO a7 ANDREW J. FINK AND JOHN FINK, 0F READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

HvlPRQtEiViENT EN REFREGERATCRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No- 1415,8555, dated December 23, 1873; application filed November 3, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ANDREW J. FINK and JOHN FINK, of the city of Reading, county of Berks, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Refrigerators, .of which the following is a specification:

The object of our invention is to obtain a more perfect and uniform circulation of air through the provision-chambers of a refrigerator than heretofore,which object we attain by an ran gin g beneath the ice-box a peaked or doubleinclined drip-catcher, A, having gutters a at its opposite lower edges for carrying off the drippings, and an opening, 1), directly beneath the peak, through which the warm or foul air from the body of the refrigerator escapes, all as plainly shown in the vertical sectional View of the accompanying drawing. The ice-box B has slatted or perforated sides and bottom, and is contained partly within the raised portion (1 of the refrigerator, the body of the latter being separated into any of the usual arrangements of provision chambers, which, however, mu st communicate freely with each other, so as not to interfere with the circulation. The highest portion of our improved drip-catcher is at the center, where the two inclined sides meet to form a peak, and the only passages for the cooled air are at the opposite edges or lowest portions of-the dripcatcher. The edges of the drip-catcher are turned up to form gutters a, which are inclined downward toward their rear ends, where they communicate with the branches 6 c of a pipe, f, through which the drippings are carried off. The refrigerator has an inlet-opening, h, for air within the ice-box, and an outlet-opening, b, directly beneath the peak of the drip-catcher. The air, after becoming cooled, passes through the sides and bottom of the ice-box; thence along the downwardly-inclined sides of the drip-catcher toward the opposite ends of the refrigerator; thence through the provisionchambers to the bottom of the sameyand, finally, as its temperature increases, it rises through the central portion of the refrigerator to the outlet-opening b beneath the peak of the dripeatcher, as indicated by the arrow. The drip-catcher is lined on its under side with wood or other non-conducting material k, in order to prevent equalization of the temperature at the upper and lower sides of the said dripcatcher, which would interfere with the circulation.

Vie have ascertained by practical tests that with our improved drip-catcher, which is of simple and economical construction, a more uniform circulation of air, and a drier and purer atmosphere, are obtained than in ordinary refrigerators of this class.

We claim as our invention 1. The double-inclined drip-catcher A, entirely closed at its central and highest portion or peak, having gutters a at its opposite lower edges, and arranged within a refrigerator directly beneath the icebox, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The drip-catcher A, lined with wood or other non-conducting material on its under side, and having an outletopening, I), for

heated or foul air directly beneath its highest portion or peak, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW JACKSON FINK. JOHN FINK. WVitnesses WM. 13. SonoENnn, J osErH HooH. 

